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A Reply To A Post From Another Topic

You wrote: “is that he’s smarter…a truly original thinker (the main quality I look at to determine a person’s intelligence).”

Ann2012 (Diary) Sunday, March 18th at 8:15PM EDT

I like that sentiment very much. What qualifies for intelligence can sometimes be nothing more than one is very good at memorizing facts and figures from history, economics, political science or any other field of study.

But the kind of intelligence that can literally change the world, in my opinion, comes from attributes other than just a photographic memory. Attributes such as what you wrote, “original thinking,” I would also add creativity, innovation, wisdom, and a rare ability to see things outside of what’s already known.

Visionaries are unique in politics, and I wonder sometimes if those that dominate politics are far more left brain dominant and that is why we never seem to find better ways to solve problems.

Left and right brain dominant in this context has nothing to do with left and right politics.

For example men tend to be left brain dominant. The left side of the brain processes information in a linear manner. It processes from part to whole. It takes pieces, lines them up, and arranges them in a logical order; then it draws conclusions.

Women on the other hand are usually right brain dominant. The right brain processes from whole to parts, holistically. It starts with the answer and works backwards. It sees the big picture first, not the details. If you process primarily on the right side of the brain, you use intuition.

I support Rick Santorum but I’ve often thought that Newt has those creative visionary abilities and is more right brain dominate than his brethren.
When he talks about keeping the space program alive by finding ways for it to become financially self-supporting I understand his line of thinking, but what happens, like clockwork, everyone lines up to ridicule him as usual.

Rick Santorum should be the nominee but Newt should be in the administration in a very important role, VP or any other role where he can have the most impact.

THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN BY TRICKAMSTERDAM:

@ann2012: “The right brain processes from whole to parts, holistically. It starts with the answer and works backwards”

trickamsterdam (Diary) Monday, March 19th at 7:32AM EDT

Excellent post. And not just because it complemented my post. Although complementing my post was a big part of what made it excellent.

Seriously though you’re right and I would also add that Newt’s popularity on this site and Santorum’s lack of it is because most political junkies who like to write (i.e. the kind of people who post here) can recognize Newt’s original thinking and Santo’s lack of it.

When people say Santo isn’t as conservative as Newt it doesn’t make any sense unless you factor in that I think most of the people here are equating Newt’s superior intelligence w/ “conservatism” itself.

In other words they think Newt is intelligent enough to understand conservatism and Santo isn’t therefore they think Newt is more conservative even though the voting records are virtually identical (88% ACU for Santo/92% ACU for Newt).

Basically what I think people like aesthete acat jsob neil stevens l.wolf mbecker etc don’t like about Santo is that he doesn’t understand very much.

But what’s curious is that everyone except maybe becker doesn’t say that he’s just not smart enough they question his conservatism instead.

I was in PA btw when he lost by 18% (and I’m back now until at least summer) and I can tell you he ran an ultra-right reelection campaign. Too ultra right actually. If he would have backed off his principles in a bad year for Rs he would still have lost but probably by only single digits.

The last thing he is is not conservative and the last thing he is is not consistent.

People also don’t understand why he lost (that badly) btw. You need to know PA politics. PA is purple but it leans blue the same way MO is purple but it leans red. But it also has something else. People here don’t like it when its politicians make fools of themselves. Or even draw attention to themselves (E. Rendel is the exception that proves the rule).

He was going to lose anyway in that bad year for Republicans but the “man on dog” fiasco led to it being double digits. If you notice B. Casey jr and J. Toomey have completely different voting records but almost the same personalities. This new R governor I haven’t literally seen even one interview from (though he’s been instituting reforms on par in many ways w/ the governors of WI OH FL IN etc).

That’s the way people in PA like it. BTW Santorum’s been totally forgiven by the people of PA (IMO). His underdog campaign never giving up people will lick that up here like icecream….or maybe like Romney’s dog licked up its own drool when the sun beat down on it while it was chained on the top of Romney’s car…IMO Santorum will take this State in both the Primary and the General Elections.

As to your point about Right/Left side of the brain I agree and I’m the same way. I start w/ the big picture and then work backwards. It’s why it frustrated me that Newt fans wouldn’t vote strategically against Romney since it should have been obvious Romney was more dangerous to Newt than Santorum (i.e. Newt had a better chance in a two man race w/ Santorum than a three man race w/ Santorum and Romney…or a two man race w/ Romney and Newt…because then Romney could’ve crushed Newt w/ his money again).

But most (virtually all) the Newt supporters didn’t understand that. Being essentially very small thinkers most of them….all their limited minds could contemplate was being the “anti Romney”. Newt thought bigger than his supporters…that’s why he conceded MI to Santo…who couldn’t quite pull it off.
What’s interesting about women in politics is that either they naturally think like men or pretend to (e.g. Hillary) so even w/ a woman President we may not get the benefit of that “intuition” type thinking.

But I’ll tell you a dark side of it that’s going to haunt us. Elena Kagan. People thought she was a light weight. She’s not. It was a brilliant selection by Obama. The liberal Scalia. Both or them were really (Sotomayor too, the liberal Thomas). With her intuition and people skills combined w/ the intellect if they add a fifth liberal vote she’ll effective become the Chief Justice not J. Roberts.

The things Kagen could do w/ her skills and power could bring the American Conservative Movement to its knees.

So left-brain people might say: “Well then why wouldn’t you support Romney under any circumstances??”.